Harvey Family makes $1 million donation to heart association
The American Heart Association recently announced that Thom Harvey, chairman and CEO of Harvey Hanna & Associates, and his wife Robin have donated $1 million to advance the AHA’s mission in Delaware by creating the Harvey and Hanna Family Healthy Hearts Initiative.
Delaware has the third-worst stroke mortality rate in the nation (52.5%), and the need to strengthen Delaware’s stroke systems of care is imperative. With hypertension as the leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the AHA launched the Delaware Hypertension Control Network and has 32 participating organizations. To date, it has placed 1,570 blood pressure monitors throughout the state, and has identified strengths and gaps of network partners to determine collaborative opportunities to expand impact. The Harvey Family has been participating in these efforts to improve health for all Delawareans.
The Harvey Family’s leadership has helped create a statewide food security program to help provide nutritious food to those in need, while raising awareness about the deadly role of hypertension in heart disease and stroke through a statewide public education campaign.
With the creation of the Harvey and Hanna Family Heart Initiative, the impact to Delaware will expand the association’s heart and brain health efforts throughout the state. The initiative will fund expansion of the Delaware Hypertension Control Network and its self-measured blood pressure monitoring program; educate children, teachers and parents on the importance of healthy lifestyle choices; expand Kids Heart Challenge health programs and provide recess equipment to 20 Delaware schools, prioritizing those in under-resourced communities; and deliver program support for the It’s Time to Move initiative aimed at creating standardized measures for physical activity and ultimately utilized by healthcare professionals.
“We have supported education initiatives in the past with significant contributions to several great educational institutions,” said Thom Harvey. “We greatly value education. However, the initiatives we are starting and expanding at the American Heart Association’s Delaware Chapter will literally help save the lives of fellow citizens here in our home state of Delaware. Robin, my family and I are all in with these efforts and know that our investment here will help. We further hope that it also inspires others to join in, focus, and work to help our fellow citizens live longer and healthier lives.”
Harvey made the announcement at a Feb. 24 Executives with Heart Breakfast, celebrating the Heart and Stroke Walk in Delaware, the state’s largest public awareness fundraising initiative. He shared that this commitment is personal for himself and his family because of his mother-in-law’s battle after suffering a serious stroke.
For more information about the American Heart Association, go to heart.org or call 1-800-AHA-USA1.
